


That’s What Friends Are For

by Hideous_Sun_Demon



Series: this feels like the start of something good [2]
Category: Designated Survivor (TV)
Genre: Aaron is a good friend, F/M, Fluff, Humour, M/M, Misunderstandings, Multi, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-11 16:55:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13528578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hideous_Sun_Demon/pseuds/Hideous_Sun_Demon
Summary: As the National Security Advisor, Aaron knew about everything that went on in the White House. And right now he wasn’t liking what he was seeing.





	That’s What Friends Are For

**Author's Note:**

> MeredithBrody, our headcanon finally sees the light of day!

Being the National Security Advisor, Aaron always knew what was going on in the White House. And that unfortunately included knowing all about personal relationships. It was all part of the job, but it didn’t mean Aaron liked to pry. Privacy was privacy after all, and to be honest, Aaron couldn’t care less which of his coworkers were sleeping with who. No, Aaron tended to turn a blind eye when those sorts of things fell into his radar.

That being said...Aaron had to suppress a frown as he passed the White House Counsel and the Political Advisor locked in conversation in the hall- a conversation that seemed suspiciously personal. Kendra was dating Seth, Aaron didn’t need to be the head of National Security to have picked up on that- the whole damn city likely knew at this point. But Aaron couldn’t help but notice the covert smiles Lyor would shoot the lawyer when he thought nobody was looking, or the way Kendra’s hand would linger a little longer than necessary when she patted him on the arm. They kept their office doors closed an awful lot, it seemed.

Aaron wasn’t about to join in the White House rumour mill, though. He had his suspicions, but that was all they were. There was no hard proof. Kendra was a generally friendly person, perhaps she was that tactile with everybody and he simply hadn’t noticed. And Lyor, well, he’d always been a bit weird. Aaron was happy to stick to his non-interference policy, thank you very much.

(Aaron’s hunches had never been wrong before, but he tried not to think about that.)

-

This was how not how Aaron wanted to spend his day.

He’d been making his way to the break room for some much needed coffee when he passed by Kendra’s office. Her door had been closed most of the way, but he could still see a sliver of movement on the inside. That in itself wasn’t particularly attention grabbing. What was though, was the sight of Lyor in there with the lawyer, kissing her. 

‘Knew it!’ his mind chorused, before it lit up in affronted anger. Aaron really hadn’t wanted his suspicions to be true, but there was no denying what he’d just seen. Even with the kiss still vivid in his memory, Aaron found the truth a little hard to grasp. He couldn’t say he knew Kendra particularly well outside of work, but she didn’t come across as the kind of person who would cheat. And to do it with Lyor, who seemed to be a close friend of the couple- it was almost too much to comprehend.

How could they do this to Seth? Aaron fumed as he stalked down the corridor. He could feel his non-interference policy slowly start to go up in flames. Aaron didn’t like getting involved in people’s business, but this was his friend, and he was being played in the worst way. And it looked like Aaron was going to have to be the one to break the news to Seth. Not something he was looking forward to, but he couldn’t trust Kendra to come forward even if he confronted her. No, there was nothing for it, he had to tell him- right away if possible. Aaron held no real loyalty to Kendra or Lyor, especially not after what he just witnessed, and Seth deserved to know what was going on.

As luck would have it, Aaron nearly smacked straight into Seth as he reached the break room. Seth shot him a bright grin as they walked in, which Aaron weakly returned. “Hey man, how’s it going?” Seth wasn’t making this easy for him with how happy he looked, and Aaron balked slightly. He really didn’t want to be the one to wipe that grin off his face. But it had to be done.

“Listen, Seth, I’ve got to talk to you about something. It’s personal.”

Seth’s brow creased in worry as they ducked into the far corner of the kitchenette, away from any prying eyes- this place was crawling with them. “Yeah, sure. You alright?” Aaron winced.

“I’m fine. It’s not about me, it’s about you...and Kendra.”

Seth visibly tensed at the mention of his girlfriend, expression deepening into stark concern. “What’s going on, Aaron?” Aaron sighed and took the plunge. “Look, I didn’t want to be the one to tell you this, but...Kendra’s having an affair. With Lyor.” There, he’d done it. Just like ripping off a bandaid; better to get it over with as quickly as possible. Seth was going to be devastated, of course, but...

Aaron’s brain short-circuited for a moment as he watched Seth’s face rapidly morph from concerned into a look of relief, then to amusement. He was actually laughing, Aaron realised.

Oh god, he’d broken Seth. How was he going to explain this to Emily?

“I’m sorry,” Aaron attempted to speak over Seth’s incessant chortles, “but this isn’t a joke, I’m not making this up. I saw them kissing just a few minutes ago..” He trailed off in helpless bafflement as Seth shook his head reassuringly, still fighting back giggles.

“I’m sure you did,” Seth said, “but it isn’t what you think. You’ve got this all wrong.” He huffed out a sharply amused breath of air. “Man, you really had me worried there for a second.”

“I- okay?” Aaron spluttered. He was completely confused, and it wasn’t a feeling he enjoyed. Seth snuck a furtive look around them to make sure that nobody was listening, and then he leaned in, Aaron copying him automatically. “Kendra was kissing Lyor because we’re both dating him as well. We’re together, all three of us.”

That...wasn’t what Aaron was expecting. His eyebrows crept steadily higher as he stared at Seth. “You, Kendra...and Lyor,” he clarified. Aaron scanned his friend’s face for any trace of mirth, but he seemed dead serious. “Are you messing with me?”

“No!” Seth exclaimed, and winced at his own volume. He checked again that nobody had noticed and continued on in hushed tones. “No, man, why would I joke about something like this? It’s true, we’ve just been keeping it under wraps because it could cause a stir if it got out.”

Seth was right about that- this definitely wouldn’t sit well with a lot of people. Seth chewed his lip, pulling back a little, and Aaron realised that he probably looked like one of the people who would be opposed. “You’re fine with this, right?” Seth asked urgently. “I won’t mention it again if it makes you uncomfortable-“

“No, no,” Aaron shook his head, trying to force the utter bewilderment out of his expression. “It’s fine. Just a lot to wrap my head around, you know?” That was putting it mildly, but Aaron meant it. Right, okay, so three members of Senior Staff were all dating each other. That was fine. Aaron could deal with that. Seth nodded, fiddling with the handle of a coffee mug that someone had left on the counter. He seemed to be coming to some sort of decision, and he looked back at Aaron, eyes earnest.

“Look, we’re going out to try that new Chinese place tonight. Why don’t you come along? We’ll be able to explain things better, if...if you want.”

Oh great, so Aaron was getting more and more involved. He watched mournfully with his mind’s eye as the ashes of what was once his non-interference policy fluttered away in the proverbial wind. But still, Seth did genuinely seem as though he wanted Aaron to understand what was going on between all of them, and Aaron would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little curious about how Seth and Kendra had ended up with Lyor Boone of all people. 

“I’ll be there,” he shrugged. He already had one foot down the rabbit hole, might as well tumble in the whole way.

-

Aaron arrived at Imperial Peking at the same time as the others, and they all converged in an awkward huddle outside the restaurant. Seth, Kendra, and Lyor- and Aaron still couldn’t get used to the idea of the three of them as a unit- were stood in a solid line, close enough for their shoulders to touch, as if they were trying to drive the point home. Aaron gave them a thin smile. Seth, radiating cautious optimism, returned it. Kendra just looked vaguely embarrassed, and Lyor seemed the most dubious, eyeing him critically through his glasses. He was probably worried that Aaron was going to expose them. He couldn’t help but feel a little peeved at the implied accusation- Aaron wouldn’t do that to anyone, especially not Seth- but he supposed Lyor had the right to be wary. They weren’t on the best of terms, after all.

“Hi Aaron,” Kendra greeted him, a little too brightly. “Shall we go in?”Seth led the way as they were seated, with Aaron coming up the back. From his position behind them, he spied Kendra brushing the small of Lyor’s back in a quick comforting gesture. The intimacy of it was a little jarring, but at least now that Aaron knew the whole truth, he didn’t feel the anger he had before. They continued with stilted small talk as they waited for their orders to be taken- well, he, Seth, and Kendra did, with Lyor occasionally interjecting a snarky comment. Once the waitress left with their orders, however, Kendra decided it was time to get down to business.

“Seth’s already covered most of it, really,” she started. “Now you don’t have to keep going around thinking I’m having an affair- I know you’ve been suspicious for a while.”

“Well, yeah,” Aaron admitted, “but I wasn’t going to say anything unless I had definitive proof.”

Lyor snorted. “You didn’t need to, you’ve been practically radiating storm clouds around us for weeks.” Aaron hadn’t realised he’d been so obvious, but he wasn’t going to apologise for his reaction to what he’d thought was an affair at the time.

“It doesn’t matter now,” Kendra continued. “This wasn’t how we meant for you to find out, obviously.” The embarrassment was back. “Lyor had come to my office, and we hadn’t realised that the door was still open...” She shot Lyor a pointed glance at this, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “He shouldn’t have been peering in,” Lyor muttered peevishly, but there was a guilty twist to his lip that told Aaron that he’d already apologised for that slip-up.

“You said you haven’t told anyone?” Aaron asked Seth, who nodded. “We don’t want to run the risk of it getting out,” he explained. “Especially not to Emily, so just don’t mention it at work.” Aaron nodded profusely. He could already imagine how that conversation with Emily would go. No, he’d done enough already.

“So, how long as this been going on for?” Aaron asked, because he really did want to know how long this had been slipping his notice for. “Has it always been the three of you, or...?”

“Ken and I were together at first, and then Lyor joined us about a month in. So about six months now,” Seth shrugged. Aaron processed that information. He really needed to get more sleep.

Their food arrived, and as they began eating he shifted his focus to Lyor, who hadn’t said much of anything that evening. Usually that would be a relief for Aaron, but tonight it was verging on uncomfortable. Lyor was staring back at him with that unyielding intensity he always had. That was the one part of this whole thing that had Aaron stumped- why him? Aaron could admit that Lyor was an attractive guy, but aside from that the appeal was lost on him. Seth and Kendra together made sense, but no matter how he twisted it in his head Aaron couldn’t figure out how Lyor fit into the equation. He rolled the question around in his mouth, trying to figure out the best way to phrase it, before finally deciding to just go for bluntness. He figured Lyor would appreciate it.

“Why?” He directed the question at Seth and Kendra. “Why not just stick to the two of you? You’re all taking a massive risk here.” Kendra and Seth bristled a little at his words, the lawyer looking as though she were about to start a scathing argument that Aaron had no hope of winning, but Lyor broke the silence instead, his signature half-smile quirking on his lips. “I think they liked my sunny personality,” he deadpanned. Kendra laughed as Seth fondly rolled his eyes, and the tension in the air dissipated as rapidly as it had first appeared. Right then, Aaron found his answer- Seth had always been able to see the good; so had Kendra. With Lyor, they both just knew where to look.

“We know this is risky,” Kendra said. “But that’s what you do when you love people, isn’t it? Take risks?”

And, well, Aaron couldn’t argue with that. Looking over at the three of them, he felt almost envious. Aaron wasn’t lonely, exactly, but the idea of having even one person, let alone two, who were willing to risk everything to be with him, who were able to look past his flaws and love him all the same...Well, it was a nice thought. 

As the night went on, the conversation slowly drifted and the awkwardness eased, until they were all talking and laughing like a regular group of friends. It took Aaron back to the early days of the administration, back before he’d resigned and then come back as National Security Advisor. He, Seth, and Emily used to eat dinner in each others’ offices, quietly talking and pretending for a few minutes that the world hadn’t crumbled away around them. Aaron hadn’t done that with either of them in ages, and all of a sudden Aaron desperately missed Seth, even though he was sitting right next to him. The others, Seth, Emily, and now Lyor and Kendra, had managed to stick together through the chaos of the last year, while Aaron slowly drifted into the background.

And yet, Aaron reasoned, Seth had trusted him with this part of his life, something he hadn’t even shown to Emily. It felt better than Aaron would ever admit to anyone to know that Seth still considered him a friend. Aaron wasn’t about to squander that.

-

They headed out into the brisk night air, strolling down the dimly lit street to where they’d parked their cars. Kendra and Lyor pulled ahead, arms linked to ward off the chill that had fallen, but Aaron hung back. Seth fell into step beside him, and they followed the others in companionable silence. Aaron huffed quietly. “If I ever make a miscalculation that bad again, have me fired immediately,” he half-joked. Seth chuckled. “Yeah, not your finest moment, Mr Head Of National Security.” Seth bumped his shoulder lightly. “Still though,” he continued, quieter, genuine. “Thanks for looking out for me, man.”

Aaron smiled softly. “Of course.” He shot his friend a sidelong glance; Seth’s eyes were fixed on the silhouettes of his two partners, expression heart-stopping in its adoration. Aaron still didn’t fully understand how they’d ended up in this arrangement, but he did understand happiness, and right now it was written all over Seth’s face. It was the happiest Aaron had seen his friend in, well, ever. “You really love them, don’t you?” he murmured. Seth just smiled.

The air between them was thick with emotion, and for the first time it looked like Aaron was the one who had to lighten the mood. He whistled long and low, grinning boyishly. “So, dating two people, huh? Didn’t think you had that much game.”

Seth smirked at him. “Oh you wish you had my moves.”

They reached the cars and said their goodbyes. Seth and Kendra gave him warm smiles, and Lyor just nodded at him. Baby steps, Aaron thought. He slid into his car, tapping the steering wheel thoughtfully as he reflected on the utterly bizarre day he’d had. Everything could have gone far worse, but he couldn’t bring himself to regret talking to Seth. 

As he drove off, Aaron started re-writing his non-interference fresh in his mind. This one, he decided, didn’t apply to friends.

**Author's Note:**

> I think Aaron and Seth’s friendship is a very understated yet sweet dynamic on the show, and it was really fun to write about.


End file.
